Thermal bias operation in electro-optic polymer modulators

Abstract
An electro-optic polymer Mach–Zender modulator based on thermal biasing is proposed and demonstrated. The bias point of the modulator is controlled through the thermo-optic effect. Biasing is achieved by thermally changing the optical path length of one arm of the Mach–Zender interferometer. Tuning of bias points is realized by applying an electrical power of only 14 mW. It is verified that this approach is stable and substantially dc-drift free.